"He's embarrassed and uncomfortable" — Internet divided over Byeon Woo-seok's reaction to his Calvin Klein pictorial umbrella at Manila fan event

South Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok recently attended a fan meeting in Manila, Philippines. The Lovely Runner star was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a red jacket suring the Daydreamin' fan event sponsored by Dunkin. The fan meet was filled with cheerful energy, but one moment caught everyone's attention online.

During a segment where the camera showed the audience, a few fans brought forth umbrellas printed with Byeon Woo-seok's old Calvin Klein photoshoot. It featured a shirtless picture of his from the pictorial. While some fans found the moment funny, others expressed concern over Woo-seok's reaction.

Some fans pointed out that Byeon Woo-seok seemed uncomfortable and even made an "X" sign with his arms, possibly asking not to show it. Many believed that while Byeon Woo-seok smiled politely, his expressions revealed unease.

"lol you got the wrong context, dear. him saying that he's expecting more umbrellas meaning to those who are at the venue coz it's raining hard here in my country and not the umbrellas with his topless body. you can see in the video that he's embarrassed and uncomfortable," tweeted one user on X, formerly Twitter.

Some called out as to what would happen if the roles were reversed and it was a female artist instead. One user even commented that at first it felt normal, but on a second watch, it became clear Byeon Woo-seok looked embarrassed.

"it's up to you how you gonna interpret it. i'm not saying that he should forget about what he did in the past, but pls RESPECT him..do you think it's appropriate to bring that?" an X user wrote. "Not gonna lie, I laughed at first. But the more I watched it, the more I felt bad for Wooseok. A fan literally brought an umbrella with his shirtless pic and showed it right to him. He even did the ✖️ gesture like 'pls don't,'" another one said. "imagine if this happened to female actress/idols in her fanmeet some male fans doing the exact same thing?? do you think it's ok? do you still think that it's fun just bcs she's laughing? pls use your common sense, stop justifying what's clearly inappropriate just bcs he's a man," a netizen added. "please don't be like this next time...to whoever that brought the umbrella and proudly showed to wooseok, i hope you know how uncomfortable he was," another person wrote.

However, others disagreed and said Byeon Woo-seok appeared to be reacting playfully. They claimed he was just joking in a shy manner and smiled through the moment. Some fans pointed out that the Calvin Klein images were official photos and even posted by the actor on his own Instagram.

"Y'ALL HE'S LAUGHING ABOUT THE ICONIC UMBRELLA FROM THE PHILLIPINES," an X user mentioned. "Girl calm down, you can clearly see that he was showing a shy jokingly gesture while smiling at the fans and these photos are official they're even on his ig so why would he ashamed of them," another one said. "He can't believe his eyes when he saw the fcukin CK umbrella !! Hilarious," another one added. "He definitely was having fun. You guys are just making it an issue. Why would.he do the photoshoot at first place if he was uncomfortable. Look at him here being giddy, there's difference between flustered & embarrassed. He just shyyy," a netizen mentioned.

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The iconic umbrella and Byeon Woo-seok's rising fame after Lovely Runner

The umbrella itself holds special meaning for fans of Byeon Woo-seok's hit drama Lovely Runner. In the series, his character, Ryu Sunjae, shares an emotional scene with the female lead involving a yellow umbrella. This scene became symbolic of their romance. It has since been re-created at events and fan edits. Because of this, the umbrella has become a fan symbol tied closely to his role in the drama.

Byeon Woo-seok first gained recognition as a model, walking runways and appearing in fashion magazines. He made his acting debut in 2016 and rose to fame after starring in Lovely Runner in 2024. His performance earned him several awards, including a Daesang for Best Actor at the Asia Artist Awards and Popularity awards from various others.

Byeon Woo-seok is also set to appear in multiple upcoming dramas, including Wife of a 21st Century Prince and Netflix's Solo Leveling. In the latter, he is set to play the lead role of Sung Jin-woo.

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Fans now await to see what Byeon Woo-seok will bring to the table next.

Edited by Ankita Barat